Early look: What to like about No. 14 Auburn in 2017
Each week, USA TODAY Sports will give a more detailed look at the teams listed on our early top 25 for the 2017 college football season.
Up next: No. 14 Auburn. The baseline should be set at a return appearance in a New Year’s Six bowl. Could there be more in the cards? Alabama might be above Auburn’s pay grade, but an elite quarterback could mean the difference for Gus Malzahn and the Tigers.
Why No. 14?
1. Jarrett Stidham. If the overwhelmingly positive early returns on the former Baylor transfer hold true come September, Auburn will have one thing most of its SEC rivals do not: an elite quarterback. Stidham is clearly at ease and in a comfort zone in Malzahn’s system, which has its fair share of similarities with the scheme utilized by Baylor during Stidham’s brief run as the starter in 2015. It’s exciting to consider how he’ll fare in this offense — though SEC defenses may eventually beg to differ.
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Early look: What to like about No. 18 Tennessee in 2017
2. Returning starters. The Tigers return eight starters on offense — though Stidham should replace returning quarterback Sean White — and another seven on defense. In total, those 15 returning starters top the SEC West Division. Is that really an important number? It’s certainly not meaningless. But what stands out when looking at Auburn’s projected two-deep isn’t merely the list of returning starters but the sense of experienced depth, especially at the offensive skill positions.
3. Offensive balance. Stidham this, Stidham that. He is the quarterback, after all. But take a moment to consider Auburn’s offensive balance should the transfer perform at even a borderline all-conference level. The Tigers’ offensive line depth is solid, even if the projected starting five will need every practice before September to come together as a unit. The receiver corps is young but definitely promising. Are we forgetting anyone? Oh, right. Kamryn Pettway might have been overlooked in 2016, but that won’t be the case this fall.
Why not higher?
1. Brutal road slate. Alabama comes at home. That’s nice. But the road schedule is nasty, beginning with an out-of-conference matchup with defending national champion Clemson in September. A six-game span beginning in late September features trips to Missouri, LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M, the latter threesome in a row (with a bye before facing the Aggies) from October through the first Saturday in November.
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Early look: What to like about No. 22 Florida in 2017
2. Lingering defensive concerns. Auburn has made steady improvements on defense during the past three or four years. For example: Auburn gave up 5.07 yards per play last fall, the program’s best total since 2008. But can the Tigers put together a championship-level defense in 2017 while losing two all-conference standouts in end Carl Lawson and tackle Montravius Adams? It’s not as if the cupboard is bare; there’s a healthy amount of underclassmen talent up front, especially if former five-star recruit Byron Cowart takes to his shift to tackle. It’s just something to wonder: Is Auburn’s defense good enough to win the SEC?
3. Offseason hangover. There are a few ways to look at Auburn’s three losses in four games to end last season. Did the Tigers simply get worn down in November before being steamrolled by Oklahoma in bowl play? Did the Sooners and Alabama find the recipe for shredding the Tigers’ defense? It’s possible that the grind got to Auburn down the stretch. It’s unlikely that OU and the Tide found some secret formula — they do the same to almost every team on their schedules. But even if it’s almost a cliché to make so much of how one year ends, the Tigers clearly need to put the tail end of last fall in their rearview mirror before focusing fully on 2017.
Early look: What to like about West Virginia in 2017
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Early look: What to like about No. 25 UCLA in 2017
Biggest games
►At Clemson, Sept. 9
►At LSU, Oct. 14
►Vs. Alabama, Nov. 25
Three players to know
1. RB Kerryon Johnson. There will be plenty of touches for Johnson in a reserve role behind Pettway.
2. WR Darius Slayton. He’s just one of several sophomore receivers set for a substantial increase in production with Stidham under center.
3. LB Paul James III. The defensive MVP of Auburn’s spring game should provide a situational burst on passing downs.
PROJECTING THE PRESEASON TOP 25
